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Crime & Public Safety

After historically deadly 2020, Atlanta homicides are up nearly 60% in 2021

A year after Rayshard Brooks shooting, Peoplestown hopes for change
VIDEO: DE-ESCALATE!: The story of an intense protest on an Atlanta interstate
Atlanta’s 2021 homicide victims
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A timeline of the Rayshard Brooks case
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February 10, 2021 Atlanta: A double shooting in the southbound lanes of I-85 in Midtown left one man dead and wreaked havoc on Wednesday morning’s commute on Feb, 10, 2021. The fatal shooting brought traffic to a standstill about 5:15 a.m. just north of the Brookwood interchange. All lanes were shut down for about four hours as police investigated, leading to massive delays in Midtown, Buckhead and all through the northern suburbs, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center. Drivers stuck behind the closure did not move for more than two hours before authorities began turning cars around. Backups stretched all the way to the Ga. 400 merge. An off-duty Jonesboro police officer discovered a dark-colored sedan near the entrance to I-75 North about 5:15 a.m. and found two men with gunshot wounds inside, Atlanta police Capt. Jason Smith said from the scene. One man was pronounced dead. The other was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital and survived his injuries. The officer initially thought he had come across a wreck, but quickly called for backup and tried to help the victims, Smith said. It wasn’t immediately clear Wednesday morning where the shots were fired from. Detectives are still working to piece together what prompted the fatal shooting and identify a suspect. Smith said detectives are trying to interview the surviving victim to find out exactly what happened. “This does not appear to be a random act,” Smith said. “It appears to be a dispute that had escalated.” All lanes reopened about 9:15 a.m. when police finally cleared the crime scene. “We always hate when we have to do that,” Smith said when asked about shutting down the interstate. “Unfortunately, we have to make sure that we process the crime scene appropriately, and it does take time.” (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)
Shootings on metro Atlanta roadways this year have killed 13, injured others21h ago
A special report on the spike in Atlanta homicides in 2020 and why Atlanta’s deadliest year in decades has a city on edge and demanding change.
Atlanta’s deadliest year in decades has city on edge and demanding change
Rising Daughter Baptist Church was the site of the stunning murders of Harold and Thelma Swain on March 11, 1985. (RYON HORNE RHORNE@AJC.COM)
The Imperfect Alibi: An AJC Investigation
November 30, 2020 Atlanta: Dozens of gunshots were fired outside of a downtown Atlanta nightclub Tuesday morning, Nov. 30, 2020 leaving several cars damaged. The gunfire happened outside of the Monaco Hookah Lounge on Trinity Avenue, Atlanta police said in a statement. Investigators counted more than 30 shell casings scattered across the parking lot, according to photos from an Atlanta Journal-Constitution photographer. No information about injuries was available. Atlanta police have not identified a suspect, the agency confirmed. The shooting happened less than one month after Chicago rapper King Von was shot to death outside of the same lounge. The artist, whose real name is Dayvon Bennet, hosted his “Welcome to O’Block” album release party at the club Nov. 6, the AJC previously reported. Bennett and 34-year-old Mark Blakely of Chicago were killed when a fight started outside the club. Four other people were injured. The fatal shooting was one of 138 homicides Atlanta police have investigated this year, making 2020 the deadliest year in nearly two decades. (John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com)
Interactive: Atlanta’s 2020 Homicide Victims
In a special episode of the AJC's "Breakdown" podcast, hosts Bill Rankin and Greg Bluestein explore the Ahmaud Arbery case and where it goes from here.
Listen to the AJC’s “Breakdown” podcast
Georgia crime cases are a popular subject on true-crime podcasts.
Georgia cases featured on true-crime shows
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The chase ended when the driver crashed into a power pole near Browns Bridge Road and Bradford Lane Park in Auburn, according to the GBI.
NEW DETAILS: Suspect killed by police after Barrow County chase, crash
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Woman detained after argument ends in deadly shooting in Peoplestown
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Rideshare driver arrested in shooting that killed passenger
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Atlanta police found a man dead from multiple gunshot wounds near Morgan-Boulevard Park.
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Atlanta’s 2021 homicide victims
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3 Atlanta police officers commended for response to Lenox security guard shooting
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Tucker man arrested on murder charge in connection with March shooting
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Crime scene tape is left on a pole outside an Exxon gas station off Glenwood Road, where a shooting Tuesday night left two dead and two injured.
Shootout at DeKalb gas station kills 2, injures 2
Brookhaven police major to become 1st Puerto Rican police chief in Georgia
1 passenger dead, 1 critical after rideshare shooting at Atlanta gas station
Deputy injured, man killed in shooting at Newton County home
At least 25 shots were fired and one man was injured Thursday at Southlake Mall.
Lenox the site of latest shooting at metro Atlanta shopping centers
Man arrested in connection with ear-biting incident in SW Atlanta park
Police: Man robbed Arbor Place mall jewelry store at gunpoint
3 sought in armed robbery at Buford Highway gas station
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2021’s Top Workplaces in Atlanta
The veranda of Martha and Jean-Francois Morizur’s home looks out over their backyard and pool area. A sofa, chair and coffee table from Wayfair provide seating around the outdoor fireplace, and the fleur-de-lis wood and iron art above the fireplace from Hobby Lobby ties the outdoor decor into the French style of the interior of the home. Text by Shannon Dominy. Photo by Reynolds Rogers.
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Courts and law
The Nathan Deal Judicial Center, which houses the Georgia Court of Appeals. (Bob Andres / bandres@ajc.com)
Court throws out $1.4 million verdict against Marietta abortion clinic
The Nathan Deal Judicial Center, which houses the Supreme Court of Georgia. (Bob Andres / bandres@ajc.com)
Georgia chief justice: COVID-related judicial emergency to end June 30
Rodney Young, after his arrest in New Jersey for the March 2008 killing of Gary Lamar Jones in Newton County. (Photo courtesy of the GBI)
Georgia Supreme Court reaffirms conviction, sentence for death row inmate
The Richard B. Russell Federal Building in downtown Atlanta, where the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia is located. A U.S. District Court judge in Atlanta has sentenced fashion designer Ian Connor to a year and a day in prison on federal gun charges. (Credit: Elijah Nouvelage for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Fashion designer with ties to Atlanta convicted on federal gun charge
The charges were brought against Chief Magistrate Cary Hays III, who was sworn into office in January 2017.
Judge faces charges for allegedly assaulting shackled inmate
Ahmaud Arbery case: Autopsy results show he was shot 3 times. (Credit: Family photo)
Judge to decide if Ahmaud Arbery’s imperfect past is relevant
Glen Mitchell Simon of Jefferson is the latest Georgian to be charged in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Authorities say he posted this picture of himself on Facebook from outside the Capitol.
Jackson County man latest Georgian arrested in Jan. 6 riot
ajc.com
OPINION: Oconee school board isn’t giving true access during pandemic
Prosecutor Jesse Evans argues a motion during the murder trial of Justin Ross Harris at the Glynn County Courthouse in Brunswick, Ga., in 2016. Evans, who has been the lead prosecutor in the Ahmaud Arbery murder case, is leaving the Cobb County district attorney's office. (screen capture via WSB-TV)
Lead prosecutor in Arbery case leaving Cobb County DA’s office
Bruno Cua, 18, of Milton, has been charged by the FBI with 12 counts related to the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol Building.
He heeded Trump’s call to fight. Now a Milton teen awaits the consequences.
The Chattachoochee River, seen here in 2011, exits the Buford Dam powerhouse in Cumming. Lake Lanier is on the other side. (Bita Honarvar / AJC file)
Despite favorable high court ruling, Georgia’s water wars far from over
The U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 22, 2020 in Washington, D.C. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images/TNS)
Georgia secures major victory in Supreme Court water wars case
A shrimp boat on the Apalachicola River at sunset. (Paul J. Milette/The Palm Beach Post)
Your guide to the Florida-Georgia Supreme Court water case
Eric Gavelek Munchel, aka "Zip-tie guy," is being held as he awaits trial for his alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. His mother, Lisa Marie Eisenhart, also arrested in connection with the incident, is complaining about the restrictive conditions in jail. (Win McNamee/Getty Images/TNS)
‘Zip-tie guy,’ mom granted bond on Jan. 6 charges
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At least 25 shots were fired and one man was injured Thursday at Southlake Mall.
Lenox the site of latest shooting at metro Atlanta shopping centers
The suspect is accused of pulling a knife and biting off a chunk of the victim's ear.
Man arrested in connection with ear-biting incident in SW Atlanta park
Douglasville police released photos of a man suspected of robbing the Ice Jewelry store at Arbor Place Mall at gunpoint.
Police: Man robbed Arbor Place mall jewelry store at gunpoint
Gwinnett County police are searching for three men accused of robbing someone at gunpoint at a Buford Highway gas station.
3 sought in armed robbery at Buford Highway gas station
A Marietta man was sentenced to 35 years for robbing a woman at gunpoint in the Cracker Barrel parking lot.
Felon gets 35 years for robbing woman at gunpoint outside Cracker Barrel in Marietta
Brittany Wicklein, 31, was last seen Thursday in northwest Atlanta. Her body was found burning in South Fulton on Friday morning.
Police: Woman got into odd car hours before body found burning in South Fulton
The teenager disappeared in the Yellow River in Rockdale County. Authorities found his body Tuesday.
Body of 16-year-old swimmer found in metro Atlanta river
Elijah Nehemiah Harris, 17, is charged with stabbing his landlord to death Sunday night in Paulding County.
17-year-old charged in fatal stabbing of Paulding landlord
Two men were killed and one was seriously injured in three separate crashes in Cobb County on Thursday and Friday.
2 motorists killed, 1 injured in 3 Cobb crashes
A Georgia trooper ran his patrol car into the passenger side of a car being driven by an alleged DUI driver early Friday, the State Patrol said.
Trooper crashes patrol car into wrong-way vehicle, suspected DUI driver
A 43-year-old man was found dead early Friday after being shot by a Douglasville police officer, the GBI said.
GBI: Man found dead in woods hours after being shot by Douglasville officer
Maria Katherine Chavez Encarnacion, 28, of Marietta, is wanted on a murder charge in the slaying of Rossana Delgado. Authorities believe Encarnacion may be in Mexico.
Marietta woman is 8th suspect identified in rideshare driver’s slaying
The 29-year-old is accused of stealing a Chatham County police car at gunpoint before leading state troopers on a chase.
GBI: Man shot by trooper after stealing Chatham County police car at gunpoint
The victim told police he was shot on I-20 after leaving the legendary strip club Magic City on Forsyth Street.
Man shot on I-20 after leaving Atlanta strip club, police say
Former Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson is the focus of a grand jury investigation. The scope of the review is unclear. AJC 2013 file photo.
Former Brunswick district attorney focus of grand jury probe
210610-Brookhaven-Brookhaven Police Lt. David Snively talks to journalists about the arrest of Christopher Jones in the weekend stabbing of a pregnant woman on the Peachtree Creek Greenway. Ben Gray for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Brookhaven explores safety upgrades to greenway after pregnant woman’s stabbing
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